Page 117 of Her Cruel Redemption

‘Captain Margrave,’ Leela said, ducking her head respectfully. ‘I trust we’ve made good time.’

He was scruffy for a captain, jaw lined with three-day stubble and a hair slung in a low ponytail. He scowled deeply as he looked us over. ‘What are those?’ he demanded, pointing a finger at my face.

‘Scars,’ I said, trying to keep my tone pleasant. I felt Draven touch his hand to my back, felt his steady presence behind me. ‘It’s fine,’ I whispered, because I could almost sense the glower he was fixing the captain with.

Margrave swore, turning on Leela. ‘I agreed to transport two war criminals,’ he raged, his voice rough and curled at the edges with an accent I didn’t recognise, jabbing a finger in our direction. ‘Notthosewar criminals!’

‘You never asked for specifics on their crimes, mate,’ Lester contributed, tenser now than he had been when we were running through the city.

‘It should have been offered!’

Draven stepped around me. ‘I can give you specifics,’ he said in a low warning.

‘I don’t need them,’ Margrave spat, squaring himself as he drew himself up. ‘All I need to know is that a troupe of soldiers have been combing over the entire quay and no ship will be leaving port until they’ve examined its hull from top to bottom. So even if I was willing to take you, it would be impossible now!’

‘Who they are makes no difference.’ Leela rifled around in her skirts, pulling out a purse. ‘Perhaps this is just a discussion of price.’ She began to shake the contents of the purse into her palm, revealing a ring, a few sets of earrings set with jewels and a string of fat, gleaming pearls. I had no idea where she’d got them from. Perhaps she’d stolen them.

Meanwhile, Lester had approached Draven and given him a nudge. ‘Come on, give the good captain some space,’ he said, nodding in the direction of a table and chairs across the room. ‘Go and sit. You look like a corpse.’

I followed him across the room, casting a glance over my shoulder as Leela let the pearls slide between her fingers like a merchant weighing gold dust. Margrave eyed the jewellery with a mixture of scepticism and interest, his mouth pressing into a thin line.

Draven sank into the chair, his movements stiff with exhaustion. I could see the way his jaw clenched, the way his fingers twitched like he was resisting the urge to push himself upright again. Neither of us were good at relinquishing the lead.

A short while later, the captain stormed out of the room pocketing a few extra gems, and Leela and Lester crossed to us.

‘We have a plan for getting you aboard undetected,’ Lester announced. ‘And you’re gonna hate it.’

Draven narrowed his eyes. ‘Why?’

‘You’re going to have to board after the ship is inspected by the soldiers,’ Leela explained, carefully stowing her purse back in her skirts. ‘Which means—’

‘—slipping into the water and swimming like hell to scramble up the hull after casting off,’ Lester interjected, flopping into another chair.

‘That sounds risky,’ I said, glancing between them.

‘It is,’ Draven replied. ‘We could be seen when we’re in the water, and we’ll be completely vulnerable if we are.’

Lester stretched, cracking his knuckles. ‘You’ll want to swim fast. But he’s gonna leave the cargo hold open a few minutes after casting off for you so you can sneak down there.’

Draven shot him a withering look but said nothing, pushing himself to his feet with deliberate care. He was still unsteady, but he straightened his shoulders. ‘We’d better head for the water.’

We ducked back outside, slipping down the side of the warehouse and down a narrow gap between buildings where waste was stored. Leela and I sat on a step, huddling together against the cold, backs against the slimy wall of the warehouse.

‘I want to scout the best way into the water,’ Draven said, still standing and staring down the length of the ally towards the ship. He turned back to me. ‘Stay hidden. We won’t be long.’

‘We?’ Lester repeated, folding his arms. ‘I suppose that means me.’

‘Yes, Lez, that meansyou. I’m trying to get my fill of ordering you around before I go.’

I watched them slip back down the alley and into the dark, feeling sick with anxiety when I lost sight of them.

‘They’ll be back,’ Leela reassured from beside me, and I turned to face her, meeting her serious, perceptive gaze.

‘What must you think of me? To even consider this, to go with him after what he’s done?’ I asked in a sudden rush of words, hugging my arms tight around myself against the cold.

‘It’s not the choice I would make. But I’m not you,’ she said after a pause, casting a glance towards where the two men had disappeared. ‘I’d never be able to hold my own against him. But you can.’ She smiled faintly. ‘He’s a very flawed, unscrupulous man, but in his love for you I think there’s some redemption. I think he’d give anything to keep you safe.’ We were quiet again, listening to the lap of the waves. When she spoke again, she took my hand. ‘Forgiveness isn’t weakness, you know,’ she said. ‘Forgiving someone who has already hurt you and giving them another chance… that takes immense bravery.’

I hiccupped a sob, squeezing her hand. ‘You always see the best in me.’

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